The poetry of metal

Writing good lyrics is part of having a complete song. In my view, a bad song with good lyrics is still bad, but a good song with bad lyrics is going to get listened to less because people want to avoid hearing the verbal stupidity. Metal has some amazing lyricists among its ranks.

Here’s one of my favorites:

Far away from civilization
A secret farm full of obscure persons
And full of weak cattle exists
Every morning the farmfather
Satisfied himself with the cattle
SODOMIZE THE WEAK creatures
Fatigo – it’s an everflowing plague
No escape from the penis of dead
No hope for all the dead chicks
Crucio – the same procedure everyday
The same thing the whole night
Sometimes, when travellers enter the farm
They won’t return from those pervert people
Get strangulated by the evil farmers
Get buried somewhere in the desert around

http://www.metal-archives.com/viewlyrics.php?id=84385

I wish someone would translate it to English, but it says it all. The metaphor is so rich, thick with nuance, and the language in protean contortions mimics the world it describes. If you’re a fan of 13th century Sicilian poetry, you’ll notice the sequential repetition of concept, which was considered desirable in that art form. Blending old and new, in a nod to our great living poets, its use of language in flux defines this as a top-notch work of poetry.